Repurposed
by TheLittlestFictionWriter
Summary: A multiple chapter story explaining Rinzler's origin story and the changes he goes through while working under Clu.


Darkness. That's all he could see.

Try as he might, even with eyes wide open, the program saw nothing but blackness. His senses were numb; no vision, no sound, no feeling. He thought himself to be dead, having been derezzed by another program in battle, or perhaps by some other means. Surely, if this was so, he wouldn't be able to think. He would be gone. Maybe he wasn't dead. But then, if not dead, what was he?

As if out of the blue, an ear shattering ring pierced the program's ear drums. His eyes shot wide open, still engulfed in darkness. His fingers felt warm, sweaty, tightly bound beneath a suit of some kind. Then, pain struck him. The surge was hard, fast, like circuits flowing through a computer. He wanted to cry out in pain, but he couldn't. Nothing but quiet air escaped his lungs. Slowly the pain subsided, leaving his head feeling hot and heavy.

As the ringing in his ears slowly faded away he began to hear voices, barely audible. They were on either side of him, as though he were surrounded.

"So, Jarvis, how's he doing?" said one voice; a man's voice. He sounded calm, prideful, as if he were someone of importance.

"He's doing very well, sir." answered the other known as Jarvis. "He's making a full recovery."

"Excellent news."

"Although, there were a few repercussions. The wounds that yo- I mean, the User created are spreading, like a virus." Jarvis had sounded worried, maybe even frightened as he spoke. There was nothing but silence for a few moments. "How long does he have?" questioned the other man.

"Oh, don't worry, Clu! This device will keep him alive." The second man tapped on something after he spoke, the sound echoing in the program's ears, as though he were in a tank of some kind. He groaned, the noise making his head ache more than it already was.

"Ahh, he's waking up!" said Jarvis, having heard the program's moan of discomfort. "Don't worry, Clu. He's fine. His system is back online, that's all."

Slowly the program's circuits recharged, his eyes opening, adjusting to the brightness in the room. As his senses returned, he could finally look at the two men in the room with him. The one known as Jarvis was a pale, bald, program with red waves of light on his suit. The other man, Clu, was covered in waves of yellow. He was grinning down at the program, as if he were some kind of trophy. "Clu?" the program managed to say, although it was hardly audible. All that was said was gibberish, distorted and scratchy; like a glitch.

Clu turned to Jarvis, his smile fading. "What's wrong with his voice?"

"As I said, there were some minor repercussions."

"You say that as if there are more."

Although the program's senses had returned, his head still felt unusually hot, his face burning with every slight gesture and movement of his features. He went to place his hand on his forehead to try and massage away the pain,but his hand never came in contact with his skin. It was striking something, something covering his face.

"What… is this?" Again, nothing but distortion.

The red program scratched at his head nervously as he thought of how to respond. Slowly, he made his way over to the program. "So sorry. Should have shown you this from the get go. Now, don't be alarmed by what you see."

Jarvis lowered a large mirror that had been secured just below the light fixture over the program's head and maneuvered it in front of the him. What he saw sent a wave of dread crashing through his core. His face was masked over by a large, black helmet adorned with orange circuitry. It's shape was similar to that of an insect's thorax. No matter what he did, he could not remove it. His hands shook violently, inching towards the helmet. In horror, his eyes widened, claustrophobia setting in. He felt as if the walls of the helmet were closing in around him. He panicked, wanting to remove it, wanting to breath fresh air. He clawed at the outside, frantically trying to find a means of removing the device. As his breathing quickened, a sound entered his ears. A strange humming… coming from inside the helmet.

"It's alright." said Jarvis in a panicked tone. "This helmet is keeping you alive. If you remove it… you'll slowly begin the process of deresolution."

The program's hands hesitated, hovering just above the visor of the helmet. As his muscles relaxed from the panic, now subsiding into dark realization, his arms began to drift down to his sides, almost like a feather slowly falling to the floor. "I know that's a lot to take in." said Jarvis, placing a tentative hand on the program's shoulder. The golden-clad program then stepped over, swatting Jarvis' hand away and placing his own hand on the program's shoulder.

"It's quite a lot to take in." he spoke, sounding caring. Almost like a father figure. "And I'm sure he'd like a full explanation as to what happened to him."

Hesitantly, the program lifted his head towards Clu, unable to look into his eyes directly. Something about that man made the program uneasy, a strong sense of fear welling in his core. "Do you remember who you are?" he questioned. The program responded by shaking his head from side to side. "Oh dear." Clu almost sounded pleased by the program's answer. "Then I have a lot to teach you, don't I?"

The man stepped away from the program and approached Jarvis. Due to his helmet, the sentry was able to overhear their conversation. He didn't yet understand why he was able to eavesdrop so easily. He assumed it would be explained, so he didn't speak of it. "Bring me his file, and a drink. This will take some time."

"Would you like me to explain the helmet to him as well? I installed everything you requested, sir."

"No need for that, man." he said, smiling gleefully. "I can do it." Due to this strange helmet's abilities, the program took notice of Clu's eye, the visor zooming in on it like some sort of futuristic screen, bouts of random information whizzing by. Despite the speed, the program read and understood it all. The man was peering over at him with a strange look of lust, as if this program were a prized toy. Something about this whole situation had the program nervous, his stomach swelling with unease. As Clu approached, the program remained still, silent, not wanting to cause any trouble. He had no idea if he were a prisoner, or a victim of war. "It's alright, man." Clu cooed, sitting in front of him, hands cupped together in his lap. "Now, on to business. We have a lot to talk about."


End file.
